


Still

by dandelionfairies



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Accidents, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Band, Based in Chicago, M/M, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:21:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26952796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandelionfairies/pseuds/dandelionfairies
Summary: Niall's life changes once again at the sound of his phone ringing.“Hello, this is Cheyanne.  I am a nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.  Is this Niall?”The break up with Liam may have been a bad one, but Niall will never let the man be alone during a time like this. So he finds himself at the hospital, sitting beside Liam's bed, waiting for someone else to show up.  Because why would Liam want his ex-boyfriend to be the one sitting here?
Relationships: Niall Horan/Liam Payne
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22
Collections: Heartbreak Weather Fic Fest





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Heartbreak Weather Fic Fest. 
> 
> This is a work of fiction. None of it is real.

Niall is walking out of his favorite cafe when his phone rings. He lets out a heavy breath as he fishes his phone from his pocket. It quickly turns into a gasp when he sees the name and picture on his screen. Why is he calling? There can’t be anything of his that got mixed in with Niall’s, right? No, of course not. Niall had made sure that everything was sent to the right person. So why is he calling? He’s tempted to ignore the call, but something tells him to actually answer.

“Hello?” It’s a hesitant greeting because the last time they’d talked there’d been a lot of yelling. 

“Hello, this is Cheyanne. I am a nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Is this Niall?”

Niall grips his phone tighter. “Yes.”

“Niall, you were listed as an emergency contact with Liam Payne’s phone. I’m sorry to have to be calling like this. But Mr. Payne has been in an accident.”

Niall walks to the reception desk at the emergency room a short time later. He’s not sure how he made is here as quickly as he had considering where he’d been. He tries to stay calm as he waits for the woman to finish her call.

“Sorry about that,” she says after hanging up. “How can I help you?”

“I got a call about… umm… Liam Payne. You said he was in an accident? Maybe not you, but…”

“Are you Niall?”

“Yes.” Niall takes a shaky breath.

“Niall, what’s your relation to Liam?”

Niall frowns at the question. “Well… nothing anymore, I guess. I mean… he’s my ex-boyfriend. I tried calling a friend of ours on the way over, but he’s not answering. There’s no actual family here.”

“Okay. My name is Cheyanne, I’m the one that called you. If you want to go have a seat, I’ll go and speak with the doctor that has been in with Mr. Payne.”

“What happened? Can you tell me that?”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for Dr. Archer. She’ll be out shortly to speak with you.”

Niall sits down in the waiting room, pulling his phone from his pocket. He frowns when he doesn’t see any kind of response from Louis. Why isn’t he answering? It should be Louis here. Or even Harry. Anyone but Niall. Not that Niall is going to leave. He wouldn’t do that without someone else being there for Liam.

“Niall?”

Niall stands up at the call of his name. “That’s me. I’m Niall.”

“Niall, I’m Dr. Archer. I’ve been treating Liam since he was brought in.”

Niall listens as Dr. Archer explains what happened. He frowns a little. “But he’s going to be okay?” he asks.

“He may need surgery on his knee. But we won’t know for sure until we have someone come down from orthopedic to look. He will need physical therapy. But overall? Liam is very lucky.”

“Can I see him?” What? Where did that come from?

“Of course. I’ll have a nurse come in to bring you back. We are working on getting him settled with a room.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Niall follows Cheyanne down the hallway. “How is it possible that I’m able to see him?”

“He’s not in ICU. There aren’t as strict of rules. And I may have told Dr. Archer that you were Mr. Payne’s boyfriend rather than his ex.”

Niall wrinkles his nose. Of course she said that. “I’m only here until one of our friends is able to make it.”

“I understand. He’s asleep right now. He’ll likely stay asleep for a while with all of the meds we have him on right now. As soon as we hear anything on a room for him, we’ll let you know.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Niall walks into the room he’d been led to, taking a shaky breath when he sees Liam laying there with several wires hanging from him. He carefully approaches, sitting down on the chair beside the bed. He pulls his phone from his pocket. Still nothing from either Louis or Harry. He sends another message, this time to both men.

_ Seriously… Liam was in an accident. I’m sitting here with him now. He’s sleeping. But one or both of you should be here instead. If he wakes up and sees me… just call me or text me. SOMETHING! _

Naill’s lost track of how long he’s actually been in the room when Cheyanne is returning to the room. He looks over at her as she checks all of the machine’s Liam is hooked up to.

“They have a room ready for him,” Cheyanne says. “If you want to come with me. There will be another nurse who will bring you up once they have him settled.”

Niall nods. “Yeah, okay.” He stands up, looking at Liam once again. There had been many times that he’d watched Liam sleep. Too many to actually remember. This time it’s completely different. He shouldn’t be here. After everything they’ve been through, he shouldn’t be the one Liam wakes up to.

It’s nearly twenty minutes later when another nurse is with Niall. Niall follows the nurse, Amy, through to the elevators. He shoves his hands into his pockets.

“Mind if I ask how long?” Amy asks.

Niall frowns. “Oh… um… we’re not… I mean…”

Amy smiles softly. “I meant since the break up, sorry. Cheyanne mentioned it. It’s none of my business. But Cheyanne pointed out that you were still listed as an emergency contact.”

Niall nods. “He’s probably still listed as one of mine honestly. Um… it’s been three months.”

“I’m sorry. This can’t be easy for you, any which way you look at it.”

“It’s not. But…” Niall shrugs. “Untill one of our other friends gets here, I won’t leave him. I’m not really who he wants to wake up to see, but he shouldn’t wake up alone.” He pulls his phone out again, begging for there to be something from Louis or Harry. “Of course, neither of them are answering my calls and texts.”

Amy stops when they reach a room. “He’s currently in the room alone. We can’t guarantee that he’ll continue to have a private room. It is a two bed room. But for now, it’s only him. He had stirred a little on the transfer, but he’s sleeping again. He’ll likely be in and out a lot with all of the meds he’s on. But it’s nothing to be concerned about. However, don’t hesitate to hit the call button or come out to the nurse’s station if you have any questions.”

“Thank you.”

Niall walks into Liam’s room to find his ex asleep again. “God, Li, I’m sorry you had to go through this. I’m trying to get H or Louis here. Lord knows it shouldn’t be me here.”

Pulling his phone from his pocket, he nearly growls. “Damn it.”

_ You 2better answer! He needs you here! Not me! _

Niall sits down beside the bed and watches Liam. “I’m sorry it’s me that’s here.”

“You talk too much,” Liam mutters.

Niall watches as Liam looks over. “Sorry.”

“Got used to it a long time ago.” Liam gives him a small smile. “They called you?”

“You still have me listed as your emergency contact. Pretty sure I have you as mine too. Not something you think about. Do you remember what happened?”

“I was on my run this morning and got hit. How bad is it?”

“You may need surgery on your knee but they won’t know until ortho can get a look at it. You need anything?”

“Something to drink. I feel like I’ve eaten cotton.”

Niall smiles. “I’ll go see if we can get some.” He stands up and makes his way to the door.

“Ni…”

He turns to look at Liam. “Yeah?”

“I’m glad you’re here.”

Niall gives him a small smile before he walks out of the room. He leans against the wall, covering his face. Liam’s only saying that because no one else could be here. It means nothing.

After getting a small pitcher of water from the nurse’s station, Niall makes his way back to the room. He sets the pitcher of the tray before grabbing a cup.

“They said to just take a few sips at a time.”

Liam groans. “You’re gonna make sure that’s all I do too, right?”

“Yes.” Niall holds the cup and straw up to Liam’s mouth. “With all the crazy meds they probably have you in right now it’s probably for the best.”

Liam lays back after he takes a couple of sips. “I know.”

Niall sits down again as he watches Liam settle in again. “Do you feel pain or anything?”

“Can’t feel much of anything right now. So why are you here, Ni?”

Niall frowns. “I told you, you still have me…”

“But you didn’t have to come.”

“Would you have come if it was me that was laying there?” Niall isn’t sure he really wants to hear the answer. “I didn’t want you to be alone. I didn’t expect our assholes of best friends to ignore me. I planned to just stay until one of them could get here.”

“If they aren’t having sex, they’re probably doing it on purpose.”

Niall doesn’t miss that Liam doesn’t answer his question. Which means he was right. Liam wouldn’t have come. And Niall wouldn’t even blame him. At this point, he should probably leave. What’s left for him to do? Liam is awake and he’s okay. Sooner or later one of the others will respond and they’ll be here with Liam.

“It’s Thursday,” Liam says suddenly.

“It is.”

“What time is it?” 

Niall knows where this is going. Liam knows exactly where Niall should be right now.

“Nearly three,” he finally answers.

Liam looks over and frowns. “Why aren’t you at work?”

“Because no one is here with you.”

“Niall…”

“Ashe is covering for me.” He shrugs as he watches Liam. “I wasn’t going to let you wake up with no one here.”

“Okay, but I’m up now.”

“And you shouldn’t be alone.” Niall hates that he can’t actually bring himself to leave. He knows he should. He doesn’t belong here. “You hungry? I can see if you’re able to eat anything.”

“Niall…”

“I’m sure they’ll let you have some soup.” Niall stands up. “I’ll go ask…”

“Stop.” Liam reaches out and grabs Niall’s hand.

“Li…”

“I’m glad you’re here.”

Niall’s about to respond when there’s noise outside the door. He steps away just as Louis and Harry walk into the room. “Where the hell have you two been?”

“Meetings,” Harry answers quickly, throwing a look at Louis. “Liam, how you feeling?”

Niall watches as Louis and Harry approach the bed before he slips out of the room. He leans against the wall once again, covering his face. After taking a moment to compose himself, he walks to the nurse’s station. Unfortunately it doesn’t take him long and he’s returning to the room.

Harry looks over. “How long have you been here?” he asks.

“Came straight here after I got the call,” Niall answers.

“What about work?”

“Ashe is covering.” Niall shrugs as he looks at Liam. “I talked to the nurse. Once they come in to take a look at everything again, they’ll likely be able to get you food.”

Liam nods. “Okay.”

“Now that these two are here…” Niall gestures toward the door. “...I’m gonna take off.”

“That quickly?” Louis asks.

“Lou,” Harry says with a sigh. He moves over to Niall then. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Niall answers. “I didn’t want him to wake up with no one here. And neither of you were answering my calls or texts. So I stayed.” He shrugs. “Keep me updated on how he’s doing?”

Harry nods. “Of course. Sorry we didn’t respond right away.”

“I don’t buy the meeting excuse. But it doesn’t matter I guess.” Niall smiles when he sees Harry blush before looking over at Liam. “Glad you’re okay, Li.” He leaves before anyone can say anything else.


	2. Chapter 2

Niall reluctantly climbs out of bed the next morning to get ready for work. Why had he agreed to take Ashe’s morning shift? Okay, it’s not the first time he’s taken a morning shift. And it’s not like the morning shift is super early. He just hadn’t slept much last night. He’d been too busy thinking about Liam.

As he approaches the store, he pulls his keys from his bag. He isn’t surprised to see Julia already standing outside the door.

“You’re insane,” Niall mutters as he moves past her.

“I’ve been told,” Julia says. “So why do I get the pleasure of working with you this morning? Ashe just said you’ll be opening.”

Niall follows Julia into the store after unlocking the door. “Liam was in an accident. I was at the hospital with him.”

Julia frowns. “Liam? Your ex, Liam?”

“That would be the one.” Niall makes sure to lock the door again before he makes his way to the counter. “I couldn’t get ahold of Louis or Harry and I didn’t want Liam to wake up alone.”

“Is he okay?”

“He will be. May need surgery on his knee, but he’s okay.”

“Did you two talk?”

Niall isn’t surprised by the question. He lets out a heavy breath as he boots up the computer. “A little.”

“Did you tell him?”

“Tell him what?”

Julia smacks Niall’s arm. “Don’t you dare tell me that. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” She watches as he slips past her to head to the back of the store. “Just because you walk away from me doesn’t mean we’re done with this conversation.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Niall flips the stereo on before he returns to the front of the store.

“There’s plenty to talk about. Niall…”

“Julia, I love you, but I really don’t want to talk about this.” He leans against the counter as he watches Julia counting the cash in the drawer. “He still has me listed as an emergency contact on his phone.”

“Yeah?” Julie glances back at him. “So that answers the question of why they called you. But you stayed.”

“I told you that I didn’t want him to wake up alone. Louis and Harry weren’t answering.” Niall shrugs. “I hadn’t planned on being there long. I figured one of them would get back with me and be there.”

“Did they finally show up?”

“Yeah. And then I left.”

“How long had he been up before they came?” She hands Niall the receipt with the total count of cash.

“A couple hours or something.” Niall looks down at the receipt. “Jules…” He sighs as he pulls a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “I wrote this when I got home last night.” The moment Julia takes the paper, Niall makes his way to the back again to check the books.

“My mind is complicated. Find it hard to rearrange it. But I’ll have to find a way somehow.”

Niall closes his eyes when he hears Julia reading the lyrics out loud. He takes a shaky breath before he finishes what he’s doing.

“Are you going to finish this?” Julia asks.

“I don’t know.” He walks back out to the front once again. “Jules…”

“What did he say when he saw you?”

“Nothing really. Told me I talk too much.”

“Because that’s new.” Julia smiles at him. “What did you talk about?”

“Not anything particular. I made sure he knew what happened and what was going on.” Niall gestures for Julia to get to work on the opening routine. “Will you go? We still have to open.”

“You didn’t talk about how you’re still in his phone as an emergency contact?”

“No, we didn’t. Not really. I mean, it came up. I also mentioned that he’s probably still one in mine too. And that was it.”

“Hmm…” Julia sighs. “Niall, when are you going to tell him?”

“There’s nothing to tell. We broke up for a reason, Jules.”

“And yet both of you still have each other as an emergency contact. You had someone cover your shift so you could stay at the hospital with him. I know you said it was because you didn’t want him to wake up alone. Which I do believe. But why didn’t you call me to come sit with Liam? Or Ashe? Shawn? Lewis? Kacey?”

“I get it, Julia.” Niall lets out a soft breath. Before he can respond any further, his phone is signaling a new message. He pulls his phone from his phone, frowning a little when he sees that it’s Liam.

**_I never answered your question yesterday… but the answer is yes._ **

Niall bites down on his bottom lip as he rereads the message. It’s not the answer he had expected. Not when Liam had practically ignored the question yesterday. But the answer is yes. Liam would have been there if it were Niall in the hospital.

**_And thanks again for being here._ **

_ No need to thank me. How are you feeling? _

**_Tired… but good. I didn’t sleep much last night._ **

_ The bed can’t be comfy, so not surprised. Any word on your knee? _

**_Seeing the ortho this afternoon. I’ll know something then. But I’ll be here at least another night._ **

Niall’s heart skips at that. He knows Liam is simply telling him that to keep him up to date. But there’s something more to Niall. He knows what he has to do.

_ Not surprised by that either. Just don’t argue with the ortho about your knee. They know best. _

**_I make no promises. Now go to work. Gonna try to catch some sleep._ **

Niall pockets his phone again, unsurprised by the look Julia gives him. “Yes, it was Liam.”

“Hmm… Really think you should talk to him.”

“It’s useless, Jules. What Liam and I shared is in the past. We can never go back.”

“Maybe not. But you can go forward. Just because you ran into some problems doesn’t mean they’ll continue. Maybe all you needed was a break from each other.”

“Or maybe we just needed to not be together anymore. Maybe all we were ever supposed to be is friends.”

“How’s that going for you? Because until yesterday? The only time you saw Liam since the breakup is when you’re out with the group.” Julia walks over, resting her arms on the counter as she watches Niall closely. “Look, I know the breakup was bad and hard for you, but maybe it’s time to take a step back and look at it all. Because I think you’ll be surprised by what you see if you do. That’s the last I’m going to say.”

* * *

  
  
Niall stops just outside of Liam’s room and takes a deep breath. Maybe this was a bad idea. No, it’s not. It’s not a bad idea. He needs to do this. If Liam kicks him out, then he’ll worry about that at that point.

He knocks on the open door as he steps into the room. Liam looks over and smiles a little.

“Hey,” Liam says. “I didn’t expect to see you. And with food.”

Niall shrugs as he sets the bags on the tray by Liam’s bed. “Just thought you’d want something other than the food here. I can leave…”

“No, stay.” Liam gestures toward the bags. “What’d you get? I mean, obviously Jack’s. Because that’s probably what you live on right now.”

Niall laughs softly. “That’s not true. But I still go often.” He pulls the cartons out of the bags. “Got you the Italian chicken sandwich and fries.” He grabs the other bag, smiling as he pulls the covered styrofoam cups out. “And of course a banana chocolate milkshake.” 

“My favorite.” Liam shifts and pushes the button to lift the head of the bed. “I’m guessing you got the bacon cheeseburger, cheese fries, and a banana chocolate milkshake?”

“Of course I did.” Niall sits down after he gets his own food out of the bags. “So what’s the news with the knee?”

“I start therapy in the morning. We’ll see at that point. They’re hoping that’ll be all I need. But they’ll know more after the first round.”

“Hopefully it’ll just be therapy.”

“I’m hoping.” 

They continue small talk as they eat their meals. It’s the first time in far too long that they’ve talked like this. It reminds Niall of how they had been when they were just friends and at the beginning of their relationship. This is what he’s missed with Liam. This is everything he’s wanted for months on end. Neither of them could do it before, though.

They’re finishing up eating when a nurse walks into the room. Niall stands up to move the tray out of the way, giving Liam a smile when the man grabs his milkshake.

“You could have waited two minutes,” Niall says.

Liam shrugs. “Didn’t want to.” He smiles as he shifts to let the nurse check over everything.

“How’s the pain?” she asks when she finishes checking all his vitals.

“Not bad.”

“Where’s the pain the worst?”

“My hip actually.”

She nods. “That’s likely a combination of the accident and being in bed like this. It’s not unusual. If it gets too bad, let us know and we can do some adjustments. You aren’t due for your next round of medication for another hour. Think you can hold out that long?”

Liam nods. “Yeah.”

“Great. Everything is looking good though. We’ll be back around in about an hour. If you need anything before that, don’t hesitate to call for us.”

“Thank you.”

Niall watches Liam after the nurse walks out. “Is the pain really bad?” he asks. “Are you downplaying it right now?”

“No.” Liam smiles a little. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m not in pain. But I’m not downplaying it in any way.”

“Okay. I’ll make the pain worse if I find out it’s worse than you’re letting on.”

Liam laughs softly. “Noted.”

Niall stays for a short while longer before deciding he should probably head home. He’d come straight here from work. Not that he has to be home for any kind of reason. He just doesn’t want to overstay his welcome.

“Let me know how therapy goes,” he says as he lifts his bag over his head.

“Yeah, of course,” Liam responds. “Text me when you get home. And don’t get hit by a car.”

Niall snorts at Liam’s joke. “That’s horrible and you know it.”

“I am aware.” Liam smiles. “But seriously. Text me when you get home. And don’t get hit by a car.”

“I will and I won’t. I’ll actually probably catch a cab back. Get some rest, Li.”

“I will. And that’s good.”

Niall is slightly hesitant about leaving. He doesn’t want things to change again between them. What if they talk again tomorrow and everything is back to being tense? No, he’s not going to let that happen. “Night, Li.”

“Night.”

* * *

  
  
Niall locks his apartment door after flipping the lights on. He lets out a heavy breath as he drops his bag on the couch. “It means nothing, Niall. Maybe a friendship again. But that’s all it will ever be. That’s all it can ever be.”

_ I’m home. I’m hoping you don’t answer because that means you’re actually sleeping. But I also know you… _

**_You know me well. You’re home now though. So I can attempt to sleep. This bed sucks. Can’t wait to go home._ **

_ Hopefully soon. _

**_Fingers crossed. Talk to you tomorrow._ **

Niall plops down on the couch and covers his face. If only his feelings would stay buried deep down. He is in no way surprised by them, however. The breakup was much needed. He hates admitting that, but it’s the truth. They’d gone from having a great relationship to constantly fighting. Sure, Niall knows that all couples fight. They’d fought in the beginning too. It was different in the end. There had been plenty of times that they couldn’t even be in the same room as each other. Which was hard to do considering they lived together.

It all came crashing down in minutes. Their friendship… their relationship… it was split in half with a few words.

“Why are we even together anymore?”

Niall squeezes his eyes shut as the question plays over and over in his head. His heart shattered when Liam asked that question. He could see Liam shattering as he asked the question.

“What are we even doing?”

Niall growls, wiping the tears from his eyes. He told himself he was done crying over it. He had to be done with the emotions of the relationship. He couldn’t allow himself to be wrapped up in the emotions of the treacherous end to his relationship.

“I can’t do this anymore, Niall. And neither can you.”


	3. Chapter 3

~2014~

Niall rubs his hands nervously on his jeans. He hates how nervous he is. He shouldn’t be this nervous. It’s not like anything has to change right? No… Of course it’ll change. If Liam turns him down, or worse laughs in his face, everything will change. They will never be able to go back to what they are now. 

But Niall is tired of not saying anything. He’s tired of wondering. He needs to know. If it ruins their friendship, were they even friends to begin with?

“Hey,” Liam says as he approaches.

Niall looks up and smiles a little. “Hi.” He’s sure the smile comes across as nervous. He’s also sure that Liam will notice right away. He knows he’s right when Liam frowns.

“What’s wrong? Something’s wrong.”

Niall wrinkles his nose. “I hate how you know that before I even say anything.” He sighs. “Nothing’s wrong exactly. I just want to talk to you about something. And I’m scared. Nervous. Terrified.”

Liam raises an eyebrow as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Oh? What’s going on?”

“We’ve been friends for a while now. I um…”

“Ni, what’s up? You know you can talk to me about anything.”

“I know. I know I can.” Nial looks down. “I just don’t know how you’re going to react to this. I’m worried it may change things.”

“Niall, come on. It won’t change anything.”

Niall lifts his gaze again, meeting Liam’s brown eyes. “Okay. But I still think…” He shakes his head. “The thing is…” He closes his eyes for a moment as he takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “The truth is I like hanging out with you. I wake up every day and think about you. I go to bed thinking about you. So yes, you are my best friend. But what I feel… Liam…”

“Then you’ll go on a date with me?” Liam asks.

Niall frowns. “What?”

“I have feelings for you too, Niall. I’ve been trying to find a way to tell you. I mean, it really doesn’t change anything, right? We’ll still go out like we have been. It would just be dates now instead of buddies hanging out. And um… we get to do…”

Niall steps forward, taking Liam’s face between his hands and brings their mouths together in a soft kiss.

* * *

  
  
~Present Day~

Niall is finishing his morning dishes when his phone rings. He dries his hands as he looks at the screen, unable to hide the smile when he sees Liam’s name and picture. “Hello?” he answers.

“Hey,” Liam says. “You busy? I can call back later. Or you can call me later. But…”

“I’m not busy.” Niall leans against the counter. “I just finished washing my breakfast dishes.” He rolls his eyes at Liam’s chuckle. “I am capable of washing my own dishes. I just don’t like to.”

“I am well aware of that fact.”

“Is that why you called me? To razz on me?”

“It’s been a long time since I have. I have a lot of catching up to do.”

Niall’s heart flips at that comment. Does that mean that Liam wants him back in his life? Sure, they’d only be friends, but maybe that’s all they ever should have been.

“But no, that’s really not the reason. Just an added bonus.”

“I should hang up on you.” Niall laughs a little. “Did you have your therapy this morning?”

“For about five minutes. They knew right away that it wasn’t what I needed. At least not yet.”

“Meaning you’re having surgery?”

“Meaning I’m having surgery. Which sucks. But what can you do?”

“It does suck. But better figure it out now than down the road.”

“Exactly. I have a favor to ask you. And you can tell me to shove it. It’s nothing bad. And I can have Louis or Harry do it. But… I need someone to get a few things from my apartment. Harry would bring me way too much and Louis would likely leave it messier than it probably is.”

“Harry would also probably clean. I can make a trip. I’ll come up there and get your keys and address. You can just text me what you want and need and I’ll grab it.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. I’ll be up in about a half-hour or so.”

Niall walks into Liam’s room a short time later. He’s about to say something when he realizes Liam has his eyes closed. He smiles a little, knowing that Liam probably hasn’t gotten a lot of sleep the last couple of days. He’s probably been sleeping on and off throughout the day.

Niall sits down, continuing to watch his ex-boyfriend. He chews on the loose skin on the side of his thumb, never taking his eyes off Liam. That’s when it hits him. He’d been sitting on the same two lines, but now… He looks around trying to find something to write on. The one time he actually doesn’t have his bag and he needs it. He settles for a napkin that’s on the tray and the pen he finds on the markerboard.

After writing the words down, he stares down at them. What’s he supposed to do with this? He takes a shaky breath as he closes his eyes. How is he supposed to handle any of this? He can’t.

“Hey,” Liam says.

Niall opens his eyes again. “Hey. Did I wake you?”

“No. I didn’t hear you come in. How long have you been here?”

“Not long. Few minutes.” Niall shrugs. “Didn’t want to wake you. I’m sure you aren’t sleeping much.”

“I’m sleeping enough though.” Liam gestures toward the small cabinet. “My stuff is in there. In a bag.”

Niall stands up again and makes his way over, tucking the napkin into his pocket as he does. He pulls the plastic bag from the closet. “Want me to just take this back to your apartment?”

“Please.” Liam takes the bag, sifting through it until he finds his keys. “It’s probably a little messy. I haven’t had time to clean much. Just so you know what you’re walking into.”

Niall grins. “No problem.” He takes the keys, slipping them into his pocket.

“I’ll text you the address and what I need. I actually meant to do that already but I fell asleep.” He reaches over to grab his phone. “Luckily the nurses have been nice enough to charge my phone a few times.”

“You should have said something. I could’ve brought one of mine.”

“It’s fine. And there’s no rush on any of this. I don’t know what you’re schedule is like today.”

“I’m free today. Have they scheduled the surgery yet?”

“Not yet. Dr. Nylund is coming back this afternoon and should have that set then.” Liam looks up at Niall after he finishes typing everything out and sending the message. “I’m hoping as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, that would be nice. No matter what, it’s going to be some time before things are back to normal. Take it from someone who’s been through two knee surgeries.”

“I know.” Liam smiles a little. “I was there for both.”

Niall nods. “Who would’ve thought it’d get turned around?”

“Right?”

“I’ll head out and get everything for you. Want me to pick food up on my way back?”

“I won’t say no. But it’s not necessary.”

Niall smiles. “Okay. I’ll stop somewhere. I’ll call if I need anything. You call if you think of anything else.”

“I will.” Liam watches Niall for a moment. “Thanks for doing this. Don’t worry about anything else there. Zayn will be back in town Monday. I’ll have him deal with the stuff in the fridge seen as I’ll be here for a while.”

Niall’s heart sinks at the mention of some other man. Of course Liam has moved on. Why wouldn’t he have moved on? He deserved to move on. He deserves someone better than Niall.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll be back in a little while.” He turns to walk out, stopping long enough to drop the napkin into the garbage can.

As Niall steps into Liam’s condo, he isn’t too surprised by anything he’s greeted with. He sets the keys down on the table by the door, the same table they had when they lived together. It had been something Liam had brought with him from his tiny little apartment he had before they moved in. Neither of them kept the living room furniture. 

Niall frowns a little as he thinks back to the day they moved out. Aside from the table by the door that Liam kept and the nightstand that Niall kept, none of the furniture moved with them. Niall hadn’t thought that one through very well. Nine months later and he’s still trying to buy enough things for his place. As he looks around Liam’s condo, he can’t help but feel a little jealous. He knows he shouldn’t. Liam had the long term career kind of job. It’s no surprise he could afford to furnish an entire place easily. 

He makes his way to the bedroom, setting the plastic bag on the unmade bed. That’s very unlike Liam. Liam was always the one who made the bed or told Niall to bed when he got up later than him. Of course, his routine was interrupted by the accident. 

Niall walks over to the closed door he assumes is the closet, pulling the door open. He isn’t surprised at how organized it is. As he reaches for the bag Liam had told him would be there, he is surprised to see his name written on a box. 

_ Everything Niall _

Liam has a box with things of him? He takes a shaky breath as he grabs the bag and steps away. It makes sense that Liam has a box. They shared a life together for five years… over ten if you included the friendship in it too. He just hadn’t expected to find it so easily… or maybe with his name on it. Did Liam know he would see it?

“Stop being ridiculous,” Niall mutters. He tosses the bag to the bed before walking over to the dresser. 

Liam had put which drawer everything would be in. Niall almost laughed when he saw that. He didn’t need that much. It’s something they’d argued over when they first moved in together. Niall wasn’t a slob by any means, but Liam was so beyond organized, he felt like it. He grabs the first few items, drawers one and two, before pulling the third drawer open. He sucks in a deep breath.

“Oh…”

It’s the shirt he’d been missing since the move. Now he knows where it’s been. The fact that it’s in the dresser and not in the box means Liam uses it. It’s also on top of the pile of shirts, so it’s safe to say he uses it regularly. Niall smiles a little as he pulls the Arthur shirt, along with a couple of others, out of the drawer. He moves over to the bed, putting the clothes he has into the bag. 

As he takes another look around, he doesn’t see any sign that someone else has even stayed here. When they first got together and started staying at each other’s places, they’d both leave random items in each other’s rooms. But maybe Liam and Zayn haven’t made it to that point in the relationship yet. He shouldn’t be jealous. He hates that he’s jealous. He just hopes Zayn makes him happy.

It doesn’t take him long to get everything else Liam asked for packed. He’s about to walk out of the room when something else stops him. He turns and looks at the bed. It’s the one thing he can actually help with. He walks back over after setting the bag down and makes quick work of making Liam’s bed. Once satisfied, he takes a step back and snaps a picture.

_ Made your bed… figured you’d start freaking out soon knowing it wasn’t made. _

He smiles as he sends the message. If nothing else, he hopes it brings a smile to Liam’s face. 

**_I hate you… but thank you._ **


	4. Chapter 4

Niall steps onto the elevator behind a dark-haired man. There’s something oddly familiar about him, but he shakes it off. He reaches over to press the button for the eleventh floor. “What floor?” he asks, glancing over.

“Eleven,” the man says.

Niall nods and takes a step back in case anyone else slips in. He leans against the wall and watches as the number rises. 

“Fucker,” the man mutters.

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry, not you.” He lifts his phone. “The jackass I’m visiting is a complete idiot sometimes.”

Niall grins. “Got it.” He would say he can relate, but he doesn’t have that right anymore when it comes to Liam. He looks up when the doors slide open to see that they’re on the eleventh floor. He nods at the man before stepping off. Instead of heading right to Liam’s room, he stops off at the nurse’s station.

“Hi there,” Anna says with a smile. “I was wondering when we would be graced with your presence.”

Niall laughs softly. Over the last few days, he’s gotten to know a couple of the nurses that have been in with Liam a lot. Anna is one that he’s seen the most.

“I had work. You know, that thing a lot like what you’re currently doing. Except, I could never pull off the scrubs look.”

Anna smiles. “He’s doing well today. Surgery is set for the morning. For sure this time. No more setbacks.”

“Good. I’m glad. I know he’s been anxious to get surgery done and over with. It’s weird being on this side of a knee surgery.”

“He mentioned you had one.”

“Two actually. And he was there for both.” He gestures toward Liam’s room. “I’m going to go say hi. And I guess find someone to cover my shift tomorrow. Thanks, Anna.”

“Anytime, cutie.”

Niall steps into Liam’s room, stopping right away when he sees the dark-haired man from the elevator sitting beside the bed. Oh… this is Zayn.

“Hey,” Liam says with a smile.

“Hi. I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone else was coming.”

“No need to be sorry. This is Zayn Malik. Z and I work together.”

“More like I work for Liam,” Zayn says with a laugh. He stands up and holds his hand out.

“Z, that’s Niall Horan.”

“Niall, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

Niall nods and shakes Zayn’s hand. “You too.” He gestures behind him. “I can come back another time.”

“Room’s big enough for all of us, Ni,” Liam says. 

“I won’t be staying long anyways,” Zayn says as he sits down again.

Niall moves to sit on the other side of the bed. “Anna said your surgery is set for tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, finally.” Liam laughs. “Was beginning to think I would just continue laying here forever.”

“And here I thought Harry was the drama queen.” Niall grins. “I’m going to see if I can switch shifts with Ashe again.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know I don’t. I want to.”

Liam smiles. “Okay. I think Louis will be here too. If for no other reason than to pacify Harry.”

They all talk for a little while longer before Zayn announces he’s going to head out. Niall watches as he stands up.

“I’m glad you came,” Liam says. “I didn’t expect you to when you just got home today.”

“Pretty sure I wasn’t going to be allowed in the front door if I didn’t come here first.” Zayn shrugs. “The locks have probably been changed to be honest.” He laughs softly. “I will head to your place Thursday to deal with your fridge situation. And I’ll be up tomorrow after work again.”

“Okay. Give Lola a hug for me.”

Niall looks at Liam after Zayn says his final goodbyes and walks out of the room. Maybe he’d been wrong about what Zayn is.

“Will you do me a favor?” Liam asks looking over.

“Course,” Niall answers. He’s not sure he wants to hear what the favor is though. He frowns a little when Liam reaches over to the table beside the bed. “Li…”

“I’m fine.” He holds his hand out.

When Niall looks at what he’s holding, he’s surprised to see a crumpled napkin. “Li…?”

“Continue writing.”

Niall’s stomach flips at that and takes the napkin. He carefully opens it again to see his words. “Where’d you…? But I…”

“The way you threw it out I knew it wasn’t just some used napkin.”

Niall meets Liam’s gaze. Of course he could tell that. “I umm…” He clears his throat. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m good. Nothing new. Ready for all of this to be over.”

“I’d say it will be soon, but you’ve been through two knee surgeries with me.”

Liam snorts. “Is it weird being the one sitting there instead of laying in bed?”

“Yes.” Niall shrugs a little. “You’ll be fine, though. If anyone can get through this easily, it’s you.” He watches Liam. “What time is the surgery?”

“Nine.”

“Okay.” He pulls his phone from his pocket. “Let me text Ashe now before I end up forgetting. Not that she’s going to say no.”

“So nothing’s changed with her when it comes to you?”

“Not really.”

“You still playing at Cork’s?”

“Yeah. Wednesday nights still. Don’t a few Saturdays. But mainly my Wednesdays.”

“That’s great. I’m glad. Maybe… maybe after I can get around again, I can come up and see you play.”

“Yeah?” Niall smiles. “I’d like that.”

They both lose track of time as they continue to talk about anything and everything. Niall can’t remember the last time he had a conversation like this with anyone. The next thing he knows is Anna is walking in to announce that visiting hours are over.

Niall stands up. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t even realize what time it was.”

“Me neither,” Liam says with a smile. “It’s fine.” 

“I’ll be back in the morning before your surgery.”

“I’ll be here.” 

“I would hope so.” Niall’s tempted to lean down to hug the man, but he knows he can’t right now. “Get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“You get some rest too.”

* * *

  
  
Niall walks into Liam’s room the following morning. He smiles when he finds Liam look over. “Good morning,” he says.

“Morning,” Liam responds with a smile of his own. “I didn’t expect you so early.”

Niall shrugs as he sits down. “Wanted to make sure I got to see you before they doped you up.”

Liam laughs softly. “I’m glad for that.”

“You’re nervous.” It isn’t a question. It doesn’t need to be a question. Even after their time apart, Niall could notice Liam’s nervousness.

“I am. I’ve never had anything like this. I was always the one that was in the waiting room.”

Niall grins. “Which you were nervous about too.”

“Yeah, I was. You hid your nerves for them. And don’t try to tell me you didn’t. I saw the look in your eyes both times.”

  
“I did hide it. I saw how nervous you were so I didn’t want to show you how nervous I was.”

“Is that what you’re doing now? Or do you just hate me that much?”

Niall frowns. “I don’t hate you, Liam. And yes, that’s what I’m doing right now. Why would you think I hated you?”

“We broke up, Ni. And it wasn’t exactly a good one.”

“I remember. But I never hated you. If anyone…”

“I didn’t hate you either.” Liam reaches his arm out.

Niall looks at Liam’s outstretched hand. He doesn’t look too deep into it because he knows Liam is nervous. He reaches over and takes the man’s hand. “It’s going to be okay.” He shifts, scooting his chair closer to the bed. “I promise you that everything is going to be okay. You’ll be back to running every morning before you know it.”

“You’ll be here when I wake up again?”

Niall nods. “I’m not going anywhere.”

It isn’t long before a nurse is coming in to get Liam ready for surgery. Niall slides his chair back so he isn’t in the way. 

“How long is the surgery?” Liam asks.

“It depends on how everything goes,” Rachel answers. “But Dr. Nylund believes it shouldn’t be any more than a couple of hours. Once the surgery is over we will bring into recovery. Your boyfriend is more than welcome to join you there again. It could take some time before you’re awake fully again.”

Liam nods. “Yeah, I remember that part.” He gestures toward Niall. “Went through it twice with him.”

Rachel smiles a little. “Tables have turned. Can I ask when your surgery was?”

“First one was six years ago and the second three years. Both knees.”

“Oh wow.”

“He doesn’t let it take him down though,” Liam says. “Hope I can push through the way he did.”

Niall meets Liam’s gaze and smiles. He hadn’t expected to hear Liam say anything like, at least not in front of a stranger. He’s about to say something else when someone knocks on the open door. He glances over to see Louis walk in.

“Hey,” Louis says. “Sorry, I missed my train.”

“You didn’t miss anything here,” Niall says. “Liam’s nervous.”

“Worse than when he was in the waiting room with you back here?”

“I’m still here,” Liam points out.

Niall stands at the window of the waiting room and looks out over the city. He shoves his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. It’s been a little over an hour since Liam had been brought back. It nearly broke Niall to see Liam like that. Even in his dazed and drowsy state, Niall could see the fear in Liam’s eyes. He walked beside the gurney for as long as he was able to, never letting Liam’s hand go. It took everything in him not to lean down and give him a reassuring kiss.

“You guys seem to be doing okay,” Louis says, pulling Niall out of his thoughts.

He looks back at his friend and shrugs. “I guess. It’s nothing really.”

“Don’t give me that, Niall. I’ve known you way too long to believe that. I see it, you know. And it’s not me wanting to see it. The way you two look at each other hasn’t changed.”

“It doesn’t matter, Lou.”

“Why? Why doesn’t it matter? I’m not saying that you have to rush into anything…”

“He’s moved on.”

Louis snorts, surprised by Niall’s statement. “What are you talking about? Liam hasn’t moved on. Trust me when I tell you that I’ve tried to get him to go out again. Just like Harry has with you. But… he’s thrown himself into work more than he had when you two were together. So I don’t know where you’re getting this information about him moving on…”

“Who’s Zayn? I’ve heard the name before. So I know he works at the office. But…”

“There’s nothing going on between Zayn and Liam if that’s what you’re thinking. Zayn is his assistant. Pretty sure he was planning to propose to his girlfriend soon. He may have already done it. I don’t know. But Liam and Zayn? They’re just friends.”

“I miss him.”

Louis stands up and moves to stand in front of Niall. “I know you do. And there’s nothing wrong with that. You two needed time apart. The relationship was killing both of you. Doesn’t mean it had to end forever, right?”

Niall shakes his head. “But he doesn’t…”

“Niall, he texted me last night after you left. His exact words were ‘I don’t know how to say I’m sorry to someone a thousand miles away’.”

Niall drops his head forward. “But…” He shakes his head again. “He…” He lifts his gaze again to meet Louis’ stare. “I’m still in love with him.”

“Then tell him that. Not me.”

“Niall Horan,” a voice from the entryway says.

“Here. That’s me.” Niall clears his throat as he walks over to where Dr. Nylund is standing. “How is he?”

“He’s doing just fine. The surgery went great. He’s being brought to recovery now. A nurse will come and take you back once he’s settled. Everything went perfectly.”

Niall listens as Dr. Nylund explains everything else. He shakes the man’s hand after he finishes. “Thank you, Dr. Nylund.”

“You’re welcome. A nurse should be out any minute.”

When Niall turns, he practically collapses into Louis’ arms. Louis had known it was coming. He could feel it in their conversation before Dr. Nylund came in.

“You need to talk to him,” Louis whispers against his ear.


	5. Chapter 5

Niall steps up to the microphone, smiling at the sound of his friends cheering for him. He lifts the strap of his guitar over his head as he looks over at the table that they always sit at.

“As many of you already know, I am Niall Horan. We are at Cork and Kerry’s. And if you don’t mind, I’m going to play a new one for you tonight. It’s still very very new, so bear with me if it’s rough.”

Just as he’s starting the opening on his guitar, he sees a familiar figure walk through the door. His heart skips. He hadn’t planned on singing this in front of this man. It’s too late to change it up now, though.

Liam gives him a little wave before he makes his way over to the table. Niall nods at him before taking a step back to compose himself. As he steps to the microphone again, there’s a different feeling in the air. He knows that this is exactly how it was supposed to go. He closes his eyes as he begins singing.

_ My mind is complicated _

_ Find it hard to rearrange it _

_ But I'll have to find a way somehow _

_ Overreacting lately _

_ Find it hard to say I'm sorry _

_ But I'll make it up to you somehow _

_ And I just don't know why _

_ The stars won't shine at night _

As he opens his eyes again, he finds himself staring right into Liam’s dark gaze. For a moment, it’s like it’s only them in the room. He looks away quickly, knowing he’ll never be able to finish if he continues looking at Liam.

Only when he comes to the end does he look back at Liam. He can see the man gripping one of his crutches tightly.

_ And it's killing me that we could go to war like this _

_ But I'm standing here with you just tryna be honest _

_ If honesty means telling you the truth _

_ Well I'm still in love with you _

After playing a few more songs, Niall announces that he’s going to take a quick break. He lifts his guitar over his head and settles it on the stand. He’s tempted to avoid the table of his friends, but he knows he can’t do that. He grabs his beer before he does make his way over.

“It’s too early to cry,” Harry points out. “So I hate you.”

Niall snorts at his best friend’s reaction. “Noted, Drama Queen.” He moves to sit down beside Liam, the only available spot. “I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.”

Liam nods. “I got out of work early and figured I had time to make it here.” He meets Niall’s gaze. “It was beautiful, Niall.”

“Thank you. Just… I’m not expecting anything. I just… it’s what…”

“I miss you.”

Niall swallows hard. There’s no way he heard Liam correctly, right? “You…”

“It’s the truth. I know things ended badly. I also know that it was needed. Neither of us were happy right at that point.”

“We weren’t. We needed time apart. But…” Niall shifts as he continues to watch Liam. “I miss you too. You heard the song, Liam. I…”

“Do you have time to go outside and talk?”

“Yeah. I don’t have long, but yes.” He slides out of the booth and watches as Liam slips out behind him. “We’ll be right back.”

“Have fun,” Louis says.

Niall looks at Liam again. “You okay to walk and stand?”

Liam nods. “Yeah, I’m doing good.”

Niall follows him outside. He’s surprised when Liam walks across to the railing of the pier. He doesn’t say anything as they stop, waiting for Liam to start talking. 

“I didn’t realize how much I missed you until I woke up to you at the hospital. And I know the only reason you were there is that Louis and Harry weren’t answering your calls and texts. But you stayed. You could have easily left after finding out that I was okay.”

“No, I couldn’t.”

“What?”

“I couldn’t have left easily. You mean too much to me, Liam. I don’t care what’s happened between us, you will always be a part of me.”

Liam shifts to lean against the wall. “The song was beautiful.”

“It’s the truth.” Niall moves to stand in front of Liam. Before he can stop himself, he’s resting a hand on the slightly taller man’s chest. “I’m sorry, Liam. For everything.”

“Me too.” Liam grips Niall’s shirt and pulls him closer. “Can I kiss you?”

“Please…”

* * *

  
  
~Six Months Later~

Niall rests his arms on the rail as he looks out over the lake. He’s early, for once. He somehow even managed to beat the others here. He’s not sure how that happened. He’s never gotten anywhere before Liam. So why now? 

“How’d you manage to beat us?”

Niall turns around, laughing at Louis’ question. “No idea,” he answers. He gives him a quick hug before turning to hug Harry. “More so, how’d I beat Liam?”

“He didn’t answer my text so maybe he got hit by another car.”

“Not funny, Lou,” Harry mutters smacking the man’s arm. 

Niall snorts. He isn’t surprised by the comment really. Louis has always been the joker of the group. Sure, they all have their moments, but it was Louis that everyone would say would be the joker.

“I thought it was funny,” Louis mutters right back.

Harry rolls his eyes. “I’m sure everything is fine, Niall. He probably just got caught up at work.”

“I’m right here,” Liam announces as he approaches the group. “Sorry I’m late.” After giving Louis and Harry a quick hug, he turns to Niall. “Sorry.” He slides his arm around Niall’s waist as he pulls him closer.

Niall smiles against the man’s lips. “It’s okay. It was nice being here first for once.”

Liam laughs softly before kissing him again. “Cherish it because I’m sure it’ll be the last time.”

“Probably.” He smiles when Liam takes his hand after pulling back. It’s a move that he never tires of. “So what’s the plan?”

“That’s why we’re here actually,” Harry says as he smiles.

Niall frowns. “What?”

“Do you where we are?” Liam asks. “And if you say Navy Pier I’m going to push you into the lake.”

Niall looks at his boyfriend. “Which answer do you want? Because there are three. This is where you told me you loved me for the first time. Which I said right back. This is also where you asked me to move in with you. And then six months ago this is where we started it all over again.”

Liam smiles. “There’s a fourth, you just aren’t aware of that one. This is the spot I realized my feelings for you. So I figured this would be the perfect spot.”

Niall raises an eyebrow. “Perfect spot? Li, what…?”

“When I walked into Cork’s that night, I never thought it would be to a song you wrote for me. I mean… I know you’ve written other songs about me. But this one was different. This was after the breakup. This was… it was the one I pulled out of the garbage bin at the hospital when you thought I had something going on with Zayn. You finished it. And that night was the first time I’d seen you play in months. Turned out to be one of the best nights in my life.”

Niall looks down when Liam reaches over to take his hand. “Liam…”

“You said in the song if honesty means telling you the truth…” Liam steps closer, resting his forehead on Niall’s. “I’ve never stopped being in love with you. And I need you to know that I’m here.”

  
“I know you are.” He’s about to say something else when Liam takes a step back and drops down to a knee.

“Niall, I don’t want to share my life with anyone but you. This is it for me. And I really hope you feel the same way.” 

Niall covers his mouth when he sees Liam pulling a ring from his pocket. This is really happening, isn’t it?

“Will you marry me?”

Niall nods. “Yes, of course I will.” He leans down and kisses Liam. “I love you, so much.”

* * *

  
  
~Four Months Later~

Niall looks over when there’s a knock on the door to see Harry walk in. He smiles at his best friend. “Hey,” he says.   
  


“Hey yourself,” Harry says with a smile of his own. “You ready for this?”

“I think so.” Niall looks down at his outfit. “I’m nervous. I don’t even know why. It’s not like things are changing that much.”

“Maybe not, but it’s still a big moment.” Harry steps forward, resting his hands on Niall’s shoulders. “I’m so happy for you, Niall. You deserve this and so much more.”

Niall hugs the man. “Thank you.” He takes a step back then and clears his throat. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s fine. He’s nervous too. It’s a natural feeling, Niall. Now come on. Everyone is waiting for us.”

Niall gives himself one last look before following Harry out of the room. He smiles when he sees Liam standing nearby. This is exactly how it was supposed to be. Neither man wanted anything big. They wanted something simple, something for just them and their closest family and friends. They also made it clear that they would walk down the aisle together.

Liam beams when he sees Niall approaching. “You look perfect,” he says.

“Right back at you,” Niall responds. He takes Liam’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze. “You aren’t getting second thoughts about this, are you?”

“Never. Are you?”

“Never.” His smile widens when Liam brings his hand up to kiss his palm. “Let’s go get married.”

Niall turns to Liam, their fingers linking together immediately as they listen to Zayn go through the beginning of the ceremony. He smiles at the man before him, still unsure how this is really happening. After everything they’d been through, he never imagined that they would be here like this.

“Both Niall and Liam have written their own vows,” Zayn announces. He looks at Liam then. “Liam, whenever you’re ready.”

Liam drops one of Niall’s hands in order to wipe his eyes. “When I first realized my feelings for you, I never imagined you could ever feel the same way. And then I find out you do. After four years of friendship, a great friendship, it turned into something so much more. You saw me at my best and my worst. You were there for me when so many others weren’t. When I was studying for the LSATs, it was you staying up all night to help. Then things changed. We ended up hitting a brick wall and couldn’t find out way back. Not until…” Liam takes a shaky breath. “Not until my accident. When I woke up and saw you sitting there, I knew I needed you back in my life. At that point, I didn’t even care how. And then I saw what you’d written. I knew we were on the same page, even if neither of us wanted to admit it yet. But here we are. I am so thankful that I walked into Cork’s that night. My heart belongs to you, Niall. I think it always has. We lost our focus for a while.”

Niall smiles at the use of his lyrics.

“And I can’t promise that we won’t fight. But what I can promise is that I will stand by your side through everything that gets thrown our way. You are the love of my life, Niall, and I hope I can live up to be the man of your dreams.”

Niall covers his face, trying not to cry any more than what he already is. He clears his throat as he drops his hands once again. 

“Beautifully said, Liam,” Zayn says. “Niall, whenever you’re ready.”

“When you said you wanted to write your own vows, I’m pretty sure I threatened to throw you into Lake Michigan.”

As their family and friends laugh, Niall finally is able to relax a bit.

“He did,” Liam says with a chuckle.

Niall takes his hands again. “There are so many things I could say right now. And I did have something written down. But…” He shrugs. “You know how much I love winging it. Because what I had written, while it was good, felt too structured for me. The first time I realized my feelings for you was something more than just friends, I panicked. I tried to tell myself it wasn’t real and I was just lonely. But then I found myself wanting to do everything perfectly for you. We spent so many years together having so many amazing memories. Yes, there are bad memories. But those are the memories that have pushed us to where we are right now. I’m thankful for the time we spent apart. It made me realize how much I actually need you in my life.”

Liam reaches up, wiping a tear from Niall’s cheek before wiping his own tears.

“You are my life. I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for you and everyone in this room. So yes, we did lose our focus. But I’m standing here in front of you, promising you that I will forever be by your side. I will never take for granted the time I get to share with you. I love you so much.”

Liam squeezes his hand. “I love you.”

“Well, I think that’s a perfect way to move onto the next part,” Zayn says.

Niall holds his hand out as he watches Liam slide the ring onto his finger. He tears up once again as Liam runs his thumb over the ring. 

“This doesn’t come off,” Liam whispers.

Niall takes Liam’s ring and reaches for his hand. “Neither does this.” He slips the ring onto Liam’s finger. 

“It is my great honor to pronounce you husband and husband,” Zayn announces. “You may kiss your new husband.”

Liam rests a hand on Niall’s cheek as he captures his mouth in a soft kiss. Naill slips his hands inside Liam’s jacket, holding onto his sides.

“I love you, Mr. Payne,” Liam mutters against his mouth.

“I love you, Mr. Horan.”


	6. Chapter 6

~Twenty Years Later~

Niall walks into the living room, frowning when the kids scramble to hide whatever had been on the coffee table. He raises an eyebrow between the two. It’s unusual for them to even be in the same room anymore. The moment Jana became a teenager, she wanted nothing to do with Ezra. Okay, that’s not completely true. But he can’t remember the last time they were like this.

“What’s going on?” he asks.

“Nothing,” Jana answers. “Just hanging out.”

“Hmm…” He drops his eyes to the box under the table. “What’s in the box?”

“Nothing special.” Jana shrugs.

“Ezra?” He isn’t surprised when he sees Jana practically glaring at him. “Should I be worried?

“No,” Ezra answers. “Just something we’re working on.”

“Okay. Well, dinner is just about ready. So go get washed up.” He looks back when the door opens, smiling when he sees his husband walk in. “Just in time. Dinner’s just about ready.”

Liam smiles as he steps up behind Niall, sliding an arm around his husband’s waist. “I’ll go wash up.” He kisses Niall’s cheek. “Everything okay in here?”

“Yes,” Jana says as she stands up and grabs the box. “Come on, Ezra.” She grabs his arm, dragging him out of the room.

Liam raises an eyebrow when Niall turns around. “Are those our kids?”

Niall laughs softly. “Yes. They’re up to something. Not sure what. But apparently we don’t have to worry. So I won’t for now. Not until I have to.” He smiles at Liam. “You look tired.”

Liam nods. “It was a long day. Sometimes I question my decision to be a lawyer.”

“Pretty sure I’ve been hearing that for twenty-five years.” Niall leans in and kisses him. “Go.”

As the family sits down at the table, Niall can’t help but look around and smile. He never thought he’d see the day that they would be coming up to their twentieth anniversary. Of course, there was a short time he thought they wouldn’t have kids. It’s not that they didn’t want them. The timing was always wrong. But they finally sat down and figured it out.

It also happened to be the same time Harry and Louis decided to have kids as well. So it really wasn’t a surprise when they managed to find best friends to be their surrogates. The day they became fathers for the first time was a terrifying one. Niall thought he was going to do everything wrong.

“He’s doing it again,” Jana says.

Liam looks up from his plate. “Babe, you okay?” he asks.

Niall smiles across the table at him. “Yeah, sorry,” he answers. “Just thinking about…”

“How lucky you are,” Jana and Ezra say together.

Niall snorts. “Okay, so that’s not original. Sue me.” He points at Liam. “He’s a lawyer.”

“You’re so weird,” Jana says.

“I’m aware.”

* * *

  
  
Niall looks at Liam as they make their way down the pier toward Cork’s. “You’re calm,” he says. “Like, eerily calm.”

Liam snorts. “And you’re paranoid.” He takes Niall’s hand, squeezing it softly. “I’m buying you a beer, so stop worrying.”

Niall is about to say something back, but that’s when he sees a group gathered around near the railing of the pier. Normally he wouldn’t even bother looking, but it’s different this time. This is his group. He looks at Liam again as they approach the group instead of going to the pub.

“Happy anniversary!” everyone shouts when they’re close enough.

Niall looks around, spotting his kids right away. So this is what they’d been planning. He laughs softly, tears stinging his eyes. He can’t believe this is happening. He walks over, hugging both kids.

“Is this what you were working on together?” he asks.

“Yes,” Jana answers.

“Thank you.” He kisses her cheek. “Thank you so much. This is amazing.”

After greeting everyone, he finds his way back to Liam. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”

“Kind of,” Liam answers as he slides his arms around Niall. “But we’ll talk about that later. Because they want to give us something.”

Niall turns to see Ezra and Jana walking over with what appears to be a book.

“Uncle Louis and Uncle Harry helped us out with this,” Jana says. “We’ve actually been putting it together for the last six months. I don’t know how you didn’t figure it out.”

Niall wrinkles his nose. “Me neither.”

“I know Ez and I can be difficult. But you’ve been there for us since day one. So we wanted to do something special for your twentieth anniversary.”

Niall glances at Liam as Ezra and Jana hold out the book. He reaches out to take it. Looking down at the cover, he can’t help but smile once again. It’s the very first picture they had taken after they’d gotten together. He flips the cover, gasping at the sight of notes written from their friends and family. Pages and pages of pictures and stories. 

“Oh my God,” Niall mutters.

“I know it’s not…”

“Jana, this is everything,” he says. He wipes his eyes. He looks at his husband to jokingly yell at him for not telling him about this, but it’s obvious that Liam didn’t know the extent of what was going on. “Li…”

“I caught them looking through pictures. I just assumed they were doing a quick little board.” Liam wipes his eyes before he pulls his family into a tight hug. “I can’t believe you two did this.”

“You don’t have to read and look at everything right now,” Ezra says as they pull back. “But you have to go to the back of the book.” 

Niall watches as Liam flips to the back, both their eyes widening at what’s inside the plastic sheet. “Oh…”

“The napkin,” Liam whispers. “It’s…” He looks at Niall. “You kept this?”

“No…?”

“Uncle Harry did,” Jana says.

Liam laughs softly. “Of course he did.” He wipes his eyes. “Jana, Ezra… you two are amazing.”

“Daddy, is it true?” 

Niall leans against Liam when the man wraps his arm around his shoulders, sliding his own arms around his waist.

“Still.”


End file.
